The Top 5 Reasons to Visit Cape Elizabeth, Maine Now
WRITTEN BY 5 REASONS TO VISIT® EDITORIAL STAFF
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2021 • 4 min read
With its heady mixture of artistic and outdoor adventures, Portland, Maine is stylish and sophisticated—yet remains genuine and unpretentious. A place where grey flannel and plaid flannel can coexist.
Source: Visit Maine
And underlying the latest tech, fashion and culinary scene is a deep sense of continuity. Experience the character of Portland that blends the present with a very special past.
1. THE SHOPPING
With a plethora of quaint to glitzy boutique storefronts scattered along the cobblestone-lined streets of Portland’s historic Old Port district, you’ll find everything from designer home goods at West Elm to high-end designer casual wear for men and women at Portland Dry Goods. The painstakingly curated shop located in the heart of Old Port on Commercial Street supports smaller brands made in the USA as well as England, Portugal, Ireland and Japan with an emphasis on construction and materials—which shows shoppers from outside of Maine an authentic view on what fashionable Mainers are wearing now.
Portland Dry Goods in Portland, Maine
Located in a historic warehouse on the edge of Old Port bordering Downtown, West Elm helps you create a space that reflects you and what you love. That means forward-thinking, problem-solving design that unites fair trade and sustainably sourced manufacturing, and an assortment of local products highlighting Maine-based makers and designers.
2. THE ART
Beautiful street art is popping up all over Portland, Maine. With murals in every neighborhood, you’re sure to find some breathtaking art as you explore. Murals and outdoor sculptures give Portland a personality all its own. Located on the back wall of the Asylum night club, eight graffiti artists generated the “Greetings from Portland, Maine” mural across 1,500 square feet.
Art is meant to be explored and the Portland Museum of Art is innovative, immersive and inclusive. Discover exhibitions, collections and its very own Sculpture Park. The David E. Shaw and Family Sculpture Park is open to everyone for free during museum hours from May through December.
3. THE CUISINE & COCKTAILS
With panoramic ocean views combined with local specialties from fishing boats and nearby farms, dining at Sea Glass is a coastal culinary experience. Sea Glass is a favorite for inventive, farm-to-table cuisine and hand-crafted libations that are both seasonally influenced and well balanced. For your artisanal cocktail fix, we recommend trying the Winter Warmer—concocted with tequila, mezcal, jalapeño simple syrup, Pom Wonderful and topped with prickly pear San Pellegrino.
Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Highlighting unique flavors and seasonal delights—favorite dishes to indulge on at Sea Glass include Red Wine Braised Beef Short Rib with chicken fried maitake mushroom, celery root purée and mushroom XO sauce, Pan Seared Faroe Island Salmon with roasted squash and thyme puree, fennel variation and savory granola, as well as Tempura Cauliflower Steak with everything crunch, coconut-sweet potato purée and glazed Brussel sprouts.
For those craving something sweet, indulge on the house-made Chocolate Torte with macaroon, berry compote and chocolate crisp.
4. THE BEACHES
Located slightly south of Portland, Maine in picturesque Cape Elizabeth—Crescent Beach offers sandy, oceanfront beaches, saltwater coves, wooded areas and rock ledges. Crescent Beach is a classic saltwater beach with beach grass-studded sand dunes, ocean breezes, herring gulls, picnic areas and views of fishing boats and an offshore island.
Crescent Beach in Cape Elizabeth, Maine
The signature feature and namesake at Crescent Beach is a mile-long, crescent-shaped beach ideal for strolling and sunbathing, where relatively warm waters and light surf make swimming and boating a pleasure. A few feet from the crowded summer sands are trails for walking and nature watching. During the winter season you can enjoy the tranquility of the beaches and trails, and hike or cross-country ski on paths under a canopy of snow-covered evergreen boughs. During the off season Crescent Beach is pet-friendly.
5. THE ARCHITECTURE
Portland has been the cultural and economic hub of Maine for centuries and its buildings reflect its wealth throughout its history. Walking the city is a trip back in time, from modern houses with large windows on Munjoy Hill to classic Victorian mansions in the charming western half of the city. Portland’s West End is dotted with shingle-style mansions, Greek revival homes, federalist town houses and eclectic, steeply-roofed Queen Anne cottages.
The Tate House in Portland, Maine
Sights of interest to set your eyes on include Victoria Mansion, a stunning brownstone Italianate mansion built between in 1858, the Tate House, a circa 1755 home and the only pre-Revolutionary building in the area—the house features a subsumed dormer in the gambrel roof, one of just two in Maine, and the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, a classic example of colonial architecture and lifelong home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the day’s most famous author and poet. Built in 1785, the Wadsworth-Longfellow House is the oldest on Portland’s peninsula.
WHERE TO STAY IN CAPE ELIZABETH, MAINE
Set in a location of unspoiled beauty on sandy Crescent Beach, the luxuriously contemporary Inn by the Sea offers you an experience that is pure Maine with its beachfront location, luxurious accommodations, farm-to-table cuisine and world-class spa.
WHAT YOU’LL LOVE
1. ELEGANT MAINE ACCOMMODATIONS. Coastal chic describes the vibe at Inn by the Sea. Enjoy a luxurious beach suite complete with a private terrace and ocean views, eat-in kitchen (for those warm summer nights when you’re craving fresh, Maine lobster), a dining room and living room with gas burning fireplace, plus a separate master bedroom with a marble spa bath that includes double vanities, a deep soaking tub and glass enclosed walk-in shower. You’ll loved the recessed mood lighting.
2. PET-FRIENDLY PAMPERING. Bringing Porter? Inn by the Sea is more than your typical pet-friendly property. Here, your pampered pooch is family. With a room service doggy menu, choose from both freshly prepared and healthy canine selections. Dog days at the Inn include over the top pampering with complimentary stays, walking and doggie day care, and dogs are welcome on the outside decks and fireplace lounge. Crescent Beach even allows leashed dogs during the off season.
